Through the Department of Education’s and the Island of Hawaii YMCA’s A+ Afterschool Care Programs, Big Island students at 11 schools will join their peers across the state to read the award-winning book, “Pearl Harbor Warriors: The Bugler, The Pilot, The Friendship.”

The children’s book relays the real-life story of an unlikely friendship between the late Pearl Harbor Survivor Richard Fiske and Japanese Fighter Pilot Zenji Abe. It is a moving story of peace and forgiveness and how these men, who were once enemies of war, overcame their hatred and fear for one another.

Pacific Historic Parks purchased 175 copies of the book to provide to each participating school. Pacific Historic Parks, a cooperating association that assists the National Park Service, supports the education, preservation, development and interpretation of four National Park-managed historic sites throughout the Pacific, including Pearl Harbor.

Sunday at about 7:59 p.m., police and Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel responded to a Hawaiian Beaches home after receiving a report of a structure fire. They discovered a house fully engulfed in flames. Police learned that the occupants, a 41-year-old Pāhoa woman and Lopes, had exited the home prior to the fire and were uninjured.

Police investigation revealed that Lopes had allegedly threatened to set fire to the house.

Police found Lopes at a nearby home with a head injury unrelated to the structure fire. He was taken to Hilo Medical Center for treatment.

Lopes was arrested after he was discharged from the hospital.

The structure was deemed a total loss.

Police ask that anyone with information on this case or who may have witnessed this incident contact Detective Norbert Serrao at 961-2383 or nserrao@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Beginning next Monday, December 10, Suzanne Marinelli will travel to Big Island on behalf of the Legislative Reference Bureau’s non-partisan Public Access Room to conduct a series of free workshops on our state’s legislative process.

This outreach is part of a longstanding program developed by our office in which we travel throughout the state in advance of the legislative session beginning each January, to help our citizens develop a deeper understanding of Hawaii’s legislative process.

The workshops provide an easy path to helping people become more effective advocates for the issues that concern them. They demystify the goings-on at the Capitol; they help people understand that their perspectives, their experiences, are crucial to the development of good laws for Hawaii.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us directly at 808 587 0478. The toll-free number from the Big Island is 974 4000, ext. 70478.

Hawaiʻi County police have charged a former Hilo man in connection with a robbery.

On October 5, a 68-year-old Hilo man reported to police that on May 25, as he was transporting a couple to a location in Hilo around 1 a.m., he was assaulted and his wallet was stolen.

The victim sustained a serious head injury and was transferred to Oahu for treatment. He reported the incident to police upon his return to the Big Island.

At 9:45 p.m. Thursday (November 29), after conferring with the prosecutor’s office, detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section charged 26-year-old Timothy “Timmy” Russ Southern Jr., who has no permanent address, with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and second-degree theft. His bail was set at $85,000. He made his initial court appearance Friday afternoon (November 30).

This is a reminder that at 11:45 a.m. today the monthly test of the Outdoor Siren Warning System and Live Audio Broadcast in conjunction with Hawaii State Civil Defense will be conducted.

For the purpose of this test you will hear a 45-second steady tone on all sirens. When you hear the steady tone in circumstances other than a test, turn to any radio or television station for essential emergency information and instructions.

During an actual emergency these broadcasts will be heard at frequent intervals and may become continuous if need be.

In addition, residents in areas surrounding Campbell Industrial Park, Honokai Hale, Makakilo, Kapolei Regional Park, Kapolei Golf Course, and the Coast Guard Station at Kalaeloa may also hear a “whooping” tone following the Siren Test. This “whooping” tone is a test of the Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Incident outdoor siren warning group that will be activated in the event of a HAZMAT incident.

NEW! Adopt-A-Siren Smartphone APP: Adopt-A-Siren: http://sirens.honolulu.gov/ Allows users to adopt a tsunami siren in their neighborhood. They will take responsibility for the siren by checking to ensure its functuality and report on the status of the siren to the City. The application also allows users to name their siren and receive an email notification alerting them when the siren will be tested.

Siren Malfunction: If the siren in your community does not sound or does not operate properly please call the Department of Emergency Management at 723-8960 to report it. You can also email the department at dem@honolulu.gov. With more than 170 outdoor warning sirens on Oahu we appreciate the public’s assistance in identifying problem units.

Siren Damage or Vandalism: You can help us to safeguard our Outdoor Siren Warning System. Please report any acts of vandalism, damages, or missing sirens or components to the Department of Emergency Management at 723-8960. You can also email the department at dem@honolulu.gov and include any images you may have of the siren in question. Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the Honolulu Police Department by calling 911.

Residents now have the option of reporting malfunctioning or vandalized sirens on-line. Visit the City’s Siren Trouble Report page at http://www3.honolulu.gov/DEMSiren/ to file your report as well as upload pictures.

Remember, important emergency information including evacuation maps can be found in the Hawaiian Telecom and Paradise Pages telephone directories or on our website at www.oahuDEM.org.

In addition all Oahu residents are encouraged to sign-up to receive emergency email and cell phone text messages from the Board of Water Supply, Department of Emergency Management and the Honolulu Police Department by signing up with NIXLE at www.nixle.com/dem Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your wireless carrier and plan.

The Department of Emergency Management also encourages our residents to have multiple methods of receiving emergency information. These methods include Nixle email and cell phone text messaging, accessing Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages broadcast over TV and radio and having a NOAA weather radio with Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME). NOAA weather radios can be purchased at most department or electronics stores as well as online.